Chap 1 of Dod..

I went into the reading of this book, already, with a wearied mindset, thinking that it would just be another carbon copy of the writings based on China’s history and legacy.  I had already run into a book about a year back called, “In Search of Modern China” by Jonathan Spence. In the book, Spence chronicles the cultural framework of China in its most recent years. This book, a mirroring parallel to Bill Dodson’s, included a dull and honestly bland interpretation and viewing of China and its inner workings. So, fearing that Dodson’s book would render the same results, I wasn’t too excited to read it. To my grateful surprise, I found the book to be thoroughly insightful while still attempting and to be brutally honest.

I was and am proud to say that I have come out of reading the first chapter with a better grasp and understanding of China’s doings, and why certain people do what they do. First, acknowledging the fact that China has more Internet users than the entire population of the United States, it’s easy to see how and why government officials view the power of the web as a threat all the while seeing it as another self-beneficial tool for control. I was amazed to see just how much of an importance and reliance the internet serves to government officials, and loosely to the entire population; it’s not that the population doesn’t rely on its usage, just that government officials rely on it for its more powerful and alluring contributions and effects. One instance where I thought it played a large role was in the case of Lin Jiaxiang, a man who attempted to push a little girl into the men’s bathroom. To make a long story short, a “Human Flesh” search engine was used to nab and finally convict the man, as the parents of the girl had no authority and right to do so. I must admit that I already knew about the restrictions on pornography, and how some saw it as being highly detrimental to the society of China.

Overall, I enjoyed the tone of the chapters, and how Dodson was selective yet confrontational with his material. This allowed for a better telling of China, and its current predicament.